Lava Lamp

Lava lamps are a decorative lifestyle item. They were invented in 1963 by Edward Walker who owned the company Mathmos. A lava lamp craze followed, a lot of companies jumping in on the idea, and cooled by the late 70s. Another craze began in the 90s, cooling in the 2010s.

Lava lamps are powered by a heated base. They may be battery-powered or plugged in. The waxy substance inside is denser than the fluid and sinks, however it is heated by the base, and becomes lighter than the surrounding fluid and floats upwards, where this cycle continues.

Crestworth/Mathmos (1960s)
Crestworth/Mathmos were the original creators of the lava lamp, made in the United Kingdom. Edward Walker started the first designs, the classic "Astro" and "Astro Mini" and other designs followed, which included: Astro Lantern, Astro Nordic, Living Jewel. There was also Glitterlite in a Telstar base. Glitterlite presents tiny pieces of glitter shimmering in liquid slowly, to present a dazzling look. Living Jewel presents fast moving glitter shimmering in liquid for a fast sparkling effect.

Astro Lanterns came in the colors 'Port' (red) and 'Starboard' (green).

Glitterlite
Glitterlites came in Astro Nordic, Telestar, Cosmos, and wall-mounted Glitterlite.

1990s Mathmos revamp
In 1990s, Mathmos revamped and brought back the old classics: Original Astro, Millennium Edition Telstar, 3-IN-1 Astro, Astro Baby (revamp of Astro Mini), Glitter Baby, and Jet (revamp of Astro Nordic). It brought new lava lamp designs: Lunar, and Mathmos Faze. It also introduced Fibre Space, a fibre optic.

LAVA®/Lava-Simplex: Lava Lites (1960s)
Another company in the United States took note of the popularity of Crestworth's lava lamps in the UK, possibly using the lack of Crestworth's licensing in the US against them in order to release similar models.